Dec 16, 2012

Saudi billionaire dies hours before marriage

A Saudi billionaire died just hours before he was to marry an Algerian girl who he had met in Saudi Arabia before travelling to her country for the wedding.

Drici Waleed, a 43-year-old business tycoon, fell in love with the girl while visiting Saudi Arabia with her family, the Saudi Arabic language daily Sabq said.

Last week, he flew to Algeria and agreed with the girl’s family to hold the wedding on Thursday in the eastern Algerian town of Sateef, the girl’s birthplace.
“On Thursday, just hours before the wedding, Waleed died. His body is to be flown back to Saudi Arabia while coroners in Algeria are trying to determine the cause of his death,” the paper said, citing a report in Algeria’s Shurooq newspaper.

The paper did not mention Waleed’s wealth or say whether the bride would be among the heirs.